KALRO Mango Propagation

Mango Propagation Origin and Distribution

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) belongs to the family Anacardiaceae with 75 genera and 700 species. Mangifera consists of 69 species. The centre of origin of mango is southern Asia (Burma, Eastern India and Andaman Islands). The mango has been cultivated, praised and even revered in its native lands since ancient times. Buddhist monks are believed to have taken the mango on voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th Centuries B.C. The Persians are said to have carried it to East Africa about the 10th Century A.D. Mango is an important cash crop in Kenya.